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Ramadan Preparation: Ten tips to prepare your family for Ramadan

01.
Buy all necessities for the month of Ramadan before Ramadan so you can spend
less time during the holy month rushing around. You can be more focused on your
religious rituals and spiritual development. Everyone in the family, even the
kids, can participate, writing a shopping list, preparing some meals to be
stored in the freezer.

02. If you have gotten into bad sleeping habits throughout the
year, start readjusting now so you can wake up for Fajr prayer.

03. Sunnah fasts of Shaaban (the month before Ramadan) help to
prepare for Ramadan and help to make the transition into the holy month a
smooth one.

04. Reduce TV watching and prepare the family for the new
spirit of Ramadan. Engage with your kids more and more in creative activities
that remind them of Ramadan. (Suggested activities including reading the moral
story books in group).

05. Organize your tape/CD collection to make it easy to select
and to play nice nasheed (Hamd/Naat) to sing along together or Quran and Dua
recitation, so as to introduce the spirit of the month gradually.

06. Plan ahead for the time you are spend at home in order not
to lose the balance between your responsibility as a parent to supervise the
children's studies and your engagement in religious practices such as reading
Quran and praying Salat.

07. Plan ahead if your daughter needs a hijab to accompany you
to the mosque. If possible, get shoes for the kids that are easy to tie when
they leave the mosque. Do you or the kids need prayer rugs for prayer? Plan
transportation to the mosque and back home.

08. Prepare as much cooking as you can before Ramadan. Here are
some time-saving tips:

Prepare some vegetables and store them in the freezer to have them ready when needed.

If you soak dates in milk or water and eat them for Iftar, pit the dates before Ramadan.

Chop onions, garlic and store them in the freezer to have them ready when cooking during Ramadan.

09. If you are planning to invite guests for Iftar, the best
time to do that is during your monthly period (menstruation). This has several
advantages:

You will be able to taste the food that is going to be served.

You won't be engaged in some acts of worship so you'll have more time for cooking.

You won't have guilt feelings for staying after 'Isha' with the guests and not going to the mosque.

10. Prepare your kids before Ramadan that they have to help you
more in housework and in setting the table and preparing the Iftar. Relate
their action with the notion of Sadaqah and good deeds. Remind them that the
reward of their good deeds is multiplied during Ramadan.

Adopted from islamonline.net with slight modifications.

Eight tips on sharing Ramadan
with your neighbors:

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: "He is not a believer who eats his fill while his
neighbor remains hungry by his side." (Baihaqi)

"By Allah, he has no faith (the Prophet [SAW] repeated it three times) whose
neighbors are not safe from his wickedness." (Bukhari)

Ramadan is a great opportunity to share Islam and more specifically, its values
of spirituality, generosity and kindness with others, especially your
neighbors. It's a great time to do Dawa. And Dawa is very much needed in the
current atmosphere of anger, tension and sadness.

Here are some ideas on how you can share the joy with your neighbors this
Ramadan.

01. Begin with Dua

Make Dua that Allah give you and your family the sincerity, strength, motivation
and wisdom to do this. Dawa is hard work, and it needs preparation, commitment
and organization.

02. Put up a Ramadan banner on your door

This can be something handmade or something more formal.

But don't stop there. Print out a fact sheet on Ramadan and stick that on the
door to educate readers passing by about the blessed month and what it means to
Muslims.

03. Send neighbors Iftar snacks

Include a note with the food that the month of Ramadan is here and you are
sharing your joy with them.

You can offer snacks that are not just "Muslims" but also "non-Muslims" (i.e.
American, African, Middle Eastern, Indo-Pakistani, etc.). You can include index
cards with the snacks listing all of the ingredients. This will help neighbors
avoid food that causes allergies.

04. Give kids Ramadan Mubarak balloons and candy

Let your neighbors' kids also feel the happiness of Ramadan by including
chocolate and candy among your snacks. Balloons also add a nice touch, and if
you can get some printed which have "Ramadan Mubarak" written on them, they may
remember the blessed month even after it has passed.

05. Publish Ramadan information in your neighborhood newsletter

If you are part of a tenants' association, a group within your housing complex
or your neighborhood block parents' association and they publish a newsletter,
inform them about Ramadan and prepare a short write-up about the month. This is
a great way of informing many more neighbors about Ramadan.

06. Have a neighborhood Iftar gathering

You don't have to invite everyone. Perhaps just the closest neighbors can attend
this event. Send handmade invitations for an "Iftar gathering" at most a week
in advance (avoid the word "party" as it may be misunderstood to mean a
gathering including alcohol, loud music, etc.).

Ask about allergies or other food issues before establishing the menu. Include
vegetarian, American and "ethnic" food.

Be sure to invite Muslim family and friends who are comfortable interacting with
non-Muslims to this event, and brief them about how they should properly share
Ramadan with the neighbors. Also, have some written material on Ramadan
available for your guests.

At the gathering:

Be cordial, generous and friendly, but maintain Islamic rules of behavior and
modesty. This should not be a "party" in the common understanding, but more of
a religious celebration that is spiritual and respectful to all.

Tell your kids to inform other neighbors' kids what Ramadan is all about and
have the children invite their classmates to your Iftar gatherings.

08. Talk about what Ramadan means to you

What's it like to fast? How do you work/go to school and still fast? These are
some questions you may be asked. Don't just point your guests to the pamphlets.
Tell them and use some personal examples they can relate to.

Adopted from soundvision.com with slight modifications.

Seventeen tips for Parents to
Present Ramadan in your Child's Class:

Parents talking to their children's principals, teachers and classmates in
public schools about Ramadan are of immense importance. By doing so, Muslim
children feel less awkward identifying themselves as Muslims, since someone in
an authority position has discussed what they believe what they do. As a
result, the children often feel more confident and secure.

Well, Muslim children need to feel the importance of their own celebrations and
holidays, especially since we are living in a non-Muslim environment where kids
don't see fancy lights and decorations, commercial hoopla or consistent
reminders of the "holiday season" during Ramadan.

And of course, talking to your child's class about Ramadan is a great way to
make Dawa to non-Muslim kids and Muslim kids as well, in particular those who
may come from non-practicing Muslim families.

There are a couple of tips to keep in mind when approaching the school or your
child's teachers about presenting, as well as for how you present the
information to the child's class.

01. Start early

Calling your child's teacher in the middle of Ramadan asking to do a
presentation on the topic is too late. Now, less than a month before Ramadan is
the best time to bring up the issue, especially considering Christmas is coming
up and holidays are on the minds of most people, teachers and students
included.

Starting early also helps you think about and gather the right materials to make
a good presentation.

02. Get permission from your child's teacher

While parents do have a lot of clout in the school system, this does not allow
them to show up unexpectedly one day at their son or daughter's class to do a
presentation on Ramadan.

Send a letter giving a general indication that you want something done about
Ramadan. Then wait for the teacher to call. If he or she does not do so within
a week, call them and tell them you are following up on the letter you sent
earlier.

03. Select the right period in which to do the presentation

Does your child study Social Studies? Or does he or she have a period once a
week for Moral and Religious education? If so, suggest to the teacher that you
would like to do the presentation during these periods. Or, you can of course
ask the teacher if he or she has ideas about which time would be best to come
in and do the presentation.

04. Be polite but firm

Speaking nicely to people is part of our Deen, including non-Muslims. We should
remember that the purpose of this exercise is to not just educate the students,
but the teachers as well. Being polite and courteous will not detract from your
desire to present. It will serve to build bridges and communication, and could
lead to further contact to do presentations on other Islam-related topics and
more teacher-parent cooperation in the future, Insha Allah.

05. Ask the teacher what areas to cover and how long it should
be

This helps to adjust your presentation to the age level of the students, as well
as connect it to what they are already learning. This doesn't mean you can't
bring in other information, but knowing what to cover from the teacher helps
you put down what has to be covered and from there you can develop more points
on these or related topics. Asking how long the presentation should be can also
help you decide how much you can include in your presentation.

06. Read, prepare, read, prepare

Now that you've gotten the permission, you don't just sit back and wait for the
night before the presentation to put it together.

Remember, if you want to appeal to the students, especially younger ones, you
are going to need more than just a talk. Visuals are a great help. You can get
a Ramadan banner picture of Muslims fasting, show part of a video aimed at
children about Ramadan (see Adam's World's Ramadan Mubarak video . To get the right material, you will have to find
out where to get it from, and ordering it might take a couple of weeks.

Preparing is important, even though you may have fasted all of your life and
think you know all about Ramadan. Get a children's Islamic book and read what
it says about Ramadan. Or an article written by a teenager about Ramadan. This
will also help you understand what points to emphasize in your presentation.

Reading up will also clarify any incorrect cultural norms that may have seeped
into the practice of Ramadan which you may not have been aware of. Talk to a
knowledgeable Muslim for advice as well.

07. Talk to your son or daughter about the presentation

Who would know better the mind set of the kids in the class than your son or
daughter? Consult them about what to include, what the kids like, what kind of
things they are interested in. Not only will this improve your presentation,
Insha Allah, but it will also make Ameena or Saeed feel important and more
confident as individuals, and as Muslims.

08. A few days before the presentation

Call the teacher to check the date and time of the schedule. This will serve to
remind him or her about your visit and prepare the class accordingly. It will
also help you get the exact time and date.

09. Write presentation points on note cards

Reading off papers about Ramadan will not hold the interest of many people,
young or old. Instead, writing brief notes on note cards that you can look at
so you don't miss any topic will help you avoid straying from the subject while
allowing you to make eye contact with your audience and maintain a
conversational style of presentation.

10. Practice your presentation in front of your son/daughter

Practicing helps you identify what can be improved, changed or omitted.
Practicing in front of Ameena will give you the opportunity to present before
one of the kids in the class who can really give you the best advice.

It will also help you time your presentation, so you can make it shorter or
longer.

11. Dress for success

This does not mean pulling out the Armani suit or the most expensive dress you
have. It just means looking as a Muslim should-clean, respectable, professional
and Islamically covered. Clothes don't always "make the man" but they do affect
others' perception of you.

12. Be early

Teachers and students are busy people. They have a certain curriculum to cover.
The fact that they've squeezed in your presentation is somewhat of a privilege.
Don't take advantage of this by wasting their time by coming late. And anyways,
Muslims should be on time as a principle.

Coming early can also help you set up your audio visual material.

13. Make Dua...

Before your presentation. Ask Allah to help you convey this message sincerely,
properly and clearly. And say Bismillah.

14. Speak calmly and clearly

It's important not to race through the presentation, nor to talk too slowly. A
clear, conversational style, but emphasis on the major points or terms you want
the students to understand can help convey the message properly.

15. When answering questions

If you don't know something, say so. Then check up on it and get back to the
teacher. Ask him or her to convey the response.

16. Thank Allah...

For this opportunity He blessed you with and your ability to go through with it.

17. Send a thank you note to the teacher and class...

Thanking them for their time and attention, as well as their cooperation.